Car alarms and remote starters have been installed in vehicles both as original equipment and as aftermarket products for a number of years. As originally conceived, these devices had to be wired into the ignition and power systems of vehicles. The aftermarket products often required installation of substantial electrical connections to existing systems plus the installation of various sensors and switches not supplied as original equipment with the vehicle.
In recent years, as vehicles have become more electronic and microprocessor driven, many vehicles systems and controls are included in an integrated electronic system supplied with the vehicle. Certain systems include connections to virtually all vehicle systems from power windows, seats and door locks to alarms, vehicle sensors (tire pressure, water temperature, oil pressure, fuel level, etc.), heating and air conditioning and remote starting. The number and variety of connections within modern vehicles provides opportunities for new and improved controls. Until recently, secure, efficient systems for remotely controlling various vehicle functions over long distances were not available.
Currently available remote start systems are typically either (1) radio frequency (RF) based transmitters or remote control units actuated by the user, or (2) cellular telephone based systems where a user's cellular telephone sends data to a server and the server communicates with the vehicle. For RF systems, the RF signal itself is not secure and is easily intercepted. Furthermore, the primary drawback to RF systems is the limited operable distance between the remote controller and the vehicle. For cellular telephone systems, starting of a vehicle can take between 1-1.5 minutes due to the necessary communication via one or more servers. Security of the one or more servers is also an issue.
Needs exist for improved systems and methods for remote starting of a vehicle with enhanced security, through a network connection.